


The Adventures of a dead flamingo and a majestic dragon

by W_rabbit



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Corazon adopts more kids and a dragon, Corazon didn't die what r u talking about, Family, M/M, Please someone contain Sabo, Revolutionary!Corazon, Timeline What Timeline
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-04
Updated: 2018-10-23
Packaged: 2019-03-27 01:22:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13870071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/W_rabbit/pseuds/W_rabbit
Summary: After his confrontation with Doffy, dying Corazon is found by the Revolutionaries and taken to Baltigo. He stays longer than he'd expected to.





	1. Baltigo

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is inspired by an idea I've found somewhere on tumblr. What if the Revolutionaries found Corazon and he survived? After all I doubt he'd want to go back to the Navy after learning about Law's story and he's never been the nicest boy out there.  
> This idea turned into a ship, which must be the rarest rarepair of all, hands down.  
> I might just turn this into a series to which I will add some other ships but since I'm bad at regular writing I'm not making any promises.  
> Hope you enjoy ;w;/
> 
> Also i know that technically the spelling of his name is "Rosinante" but the subs I watched with had it translated as "Rocinante" and I'm too lazy to change it now so lease bear with me ;_;

First thing Rocinante learned after ending up in Baltigo was that it was a shithole. Moreover, a shithole in the middle of nowhere filled with crazy people with equally crazy ideas. His days passed by with two loud and overactive brats clinging to his arms and introducing him to so many Revolutionaries that in the end he could barely rememeber his own name. At some point of time a giantheaded man (or woman?) turned him into a girl and no one even gave a fuck. 

After the time spent in Doffy's crew, each day filled with fear that he may be discovered it was like heaven.

***

At first, when had woken up in a strange place and was informed that he had barely survived although his vital organs weren't damaged, his first instinct was to chase after Law and make sure that he was safe and healthy. He even tried to steal a boat in the middle of the night but a patrol walking by succefully stopped him. His wounds were still healing and such a crazy journey would cause them to open again, probably killing him in result. Since the Revolutienaries didn't trust him at all, he hadn't been informed how to reach any point that would allow him to advance further towards wherever Law might have been. He was trapped at that horrible island with no chance to escape.

Then he met Sabo and Koala, two curious kids that peeked into the room where he was recovering, two days after his arrival. 

„So, are you a pirate?”, Sabo asked, casually sitting on the bed and peeling an apple. 

„No, I'm not. I was an undercover Marine in my brother's crew”, Corazon answered, unsure if the Revolutionaries hadn't sent the kids here to question him. They'd be pretty disappointed. He told them the truth when they questioned him after he woke up. He wasn't going to bring Doflamingo's crew to Baltigo. 

„Eeh...”, for some reason Sabo seemed pretty disappointed but Koala quickly made him focus again.

„Are you going to stay? Mister Dragon said that he'd like you to”, she asked.

Rocinante raised his brows. He'd heard about Dragon, after all who hadn't, but he had never expected to meet him personally. After all a man rebelling against the Goverment and a banished Celestial Dragon would never make a good mix.

„I'm not. There's a kid I have to find. I'd like to leave as fast as i can but it seems it can't be done. Do you usually keep people here by force?”, he glared at them, still angry but they didn't seem to care. 

„I think you need to recover first! When Dragon comes back, he'll probably let you go”, Sabo grinned. „He brought me here too, you know. But I've decided to stay since I don't really remember much.”

„You don't remember? Why?”, Rocinante asked. 

„Dragon said that my boat sunk when a Celestial Dragon ordered to fire a canon at it”, Sabo shrugged. „I have no idea why was I in that boat, though. Or anything about my family, except that they were royals. I just know that I don't want to go back.”

Rocinante paled, hearing the boy's confession. He wasn't surprised that a Celestial Dragon could fire at a child but it felt completely horrible knowing that he used to be one of them.

But not anymore. Your father gave his life to make sure that you won't be like them. 

„What's your name?”, Koala asked happily.

„It's Rocinante”, he answered, smiling a little.

***

Encouraged by Sabo's words, Rocinante impatiently waited for Dragon's arrival. From what he learned, the leader of the Revolutionaries was often absent and unless it was an official mission, barely anyone knew where had he gone to. Even less people knew when he would come back. Rocinante hoped it would be soon because his chance of finding Law was getting smaller with each passing day. 

Dragon didn't come back during his first week in Baltigo. Instead, he met Ivankov, who claimed to be Dragon's right hand, a rather calm Inazuma and a Fishman called Hack. All of them treated him kindly and when the rest of the people of Baltigo noticed that, they started to loosen up around him. It made his life a lot easier and he was grateful that someone decided to trust him. 

Only during the second week, Lady Luck smiled upon him.

He wouldn't have noticed if it wasn't for Iva. He had expected Baltigo to go wild with news and preparations for some major action. Instead, the okama just came into his room, saying that Dragon had returned and was waiting for him in his office. Then he led Rocinante to said office and left him in front of the door with a smile that was probably supposed to be reasurring. 

Rocinante knocked and pushed the door open, not waiting for an invitation. 

Dragon was standing with his back turned on him, facing the window. First thing Rocinante noticed was that he was taller than the leader of the Revolutionaries. It made him feel more confident, but only until Dragon turned around. His piercing gaze was so intense that for a moment Rocinante felt uneasy. This man was dangerous and the Goverment was wary of him for a good reason. 

„Donquixote Rocinante”, Dragon said and Rocy nodded, unsure what else to say. „You're a former Marine, who's been undercover in Doflamingo's crew and a banished Celestial Dragon.”

„How do you-”, Rocinante made a step back, ready to escape, memories of the last time that someone learned about his identity flooding his mind. Here he was, standing in front of the leader of the rebellion against Celestial Dragons, who knew his secret. How would he torture Rocinante, if simple villagers were able to cause such damage?

„The Goverment is sure their spies are the best in the world, but only because we let them think so”, Dragon answered. Seeing Rocinante's fearful expression, he suddenly gave him an amused smirk. „Don't be scared. I know who you are but I also know who you are not. And you're not a monster.”

„So you're not seeking revenge on me?”, Rocinante asked, still unsure if he can relax.

„Revenge? You haven't done anything to me”, Dragon shook his head and Rocy remembered his father begging the crowd to spare his innocend children.

„Sometimes it doesn't matter”, he said bitterly. 

„No, I'm not going to hurt you, Rocinante. Quite the opposite. I wanted to ask you to join us.”

Rocy looked at him with shock. Join the Revolutionaries? That was quite an unexpected turn of events. It'd mean rebelling against the Goverment and the Celestial Dragons. He remembered Sabo's face and the fact that that boy might never learn if he had someone he had cared about in the past. Yes, the Celestial Dragons had to be stopped but by siding with Dragon, he would have to turn his back on the Navy and Sengoku, who had treated him like his son. On the other hand, if he returned, they'd probably call him a traitor, since he lied to them to get the Ope Ope Fruit for Law. Law...

„I'm sorry, but I can't”, he said. „There is a kid who needs me. I have to find him and make sure that he's okay.”

Dragon watched him in silence for a moment and then sighed. 

„I understand. When your wounds are healed, we'll give you a boat and you can go freely. I wish you luck, Donquixote Rocinante”, he said, raising his hand for Rocy to shake it, which he did after a moment of hesitation. 

„Thank you”, he said sincerely. 

„If you'd ever changed your mind...”, Dragon reached to his pocket and took out an Eternal Pose without a name on it. „You may return.”

„Is it okay to trust me with this?”, Rocinante asked with disbelief. 

„The name of the place isn't written, so nobody will know where it points”, Dragon answered, shrugging.

„I do! I could tell anyone!”, Rocinante protested, but Dragon only smirked. 

„I like to think that I'm a very good judge of character. I'll take this risk.”

***

And so, after another week had passed and his wounds were healed enough for him to be able to move freely, Rocinante left Baltigo. Dragon's people had given him a boat and enough food and water to survive until he reaches the closest inhabited island. Koala had also given him a tearful hug and Sabo for the last time laughed when he tripped over his bag.

„Good luck finding Law!”, they shouted when he was paddling away from the shore. He smiled and waved at them. He could see Dragon, further from everybody else, watching him with the same unreadable expression he'd always had. Rocinante didn't wave at him but held his gaze for a moment, hoping that the man would understand how grateful he was. Dragon nodded at him and turned away, returning to his office. Rocy smiled to himself. They were good people and if not for Law he'd seriously consider staying longer.

But Law was waiting for him somewhere and there was not the time for pointless sentiments.

***

Despite all this good will and effort, Rocy wasn't able to find Law. He returned to the island where Doffy had shot him and asked around but nobody could help him. He even wanted to track Doffy's family to check if by any chance they had captured him but in the end decided against it. Law wasn't stupid, he would have gotten away and if Doffy learned that his brother was alive...

Sometimes at night he wondered if Law had actually managed to use the Ope Ope Fruit on time but he just couldn't imagine the kid dying. He must have made it. There was no other option. 

After half a year of fruitless search and getting hit in the face by a falling newspaper, Rocinante got a first clue about what his brother had been up to.

„Dressrossa's new king- Oh, you've got to be shitting me...”, he sat in the boat, opening the paper and quickly reading the first few lines. What in the world was he doing? Law was safe and hidden somewhere out there. He could manage perfectly on his own and yet he ran after him instead of at least telling Dragon about his brother's plans first. He could have saved an innocent country from Doffy's clutches. 

He crumpled the paper in his hands and threw it against the side of the boat angrily. After poking a little between things in his back he finally found the Eternal Pose given to him by Dragon. Maybe it was too late for Dressrossa but there were so many other countries that needed help. 

***

The way back to Baltigo took him less time than he expected. He could see the mist surrounding the white island from far away and it made him row faster. The guards who were watching the shore tackled him and pressed to the ground but soon somebody recognized the tall, a bit awkward blond who had stayed in Baltigo for a few weeks and before he knew, Sabo and Koala were hugging him and laughing.

„Have you found your son?”, Sabo asked that day when they were sitting by the training field after his fight. Rocinante grinned.

„No, but that's good. It means that my brother won't be able to find him either. And when he grows stronger... I'm sure we'll hear about him soon”, he answered proudly. 

„I'd like to meet him one day. He seems like a cool guy”, Sabo declared. „When I will be older, I will bring him back to you, what do you say?”

Rocinante smiled and looked at the sky. He'd been thinking about it for a while now. He was sure that they would hear about him at some point in the future but the idea of actually admitting to Law that he had been alive this whole time seemed more and more impossible. First of all, Law was free now. Free from Doffy and from him as well because, despite everything he and Doffy were both Celestial Dragons. Associating with them wasn't going to be good for Law in any way. Besides he didn't even know what he'd say if he had met him. How would Law react? Would he be happy? He did lie to him after all and Law hated Marines with all his heart. 

„I think it's better if he doesn't know. He is free now”, he admitted and looked at the kids to meet their looks full of disbelief.

„Are you serious? If I had anyone out there mourning me, I'd go and tell them I'm alive as soon as I can”, Sabo said.  
„You don't really know if there isn't a person like this”, Koala pointed out. 

„Well, yeah”, Sabo laughed and turned to Rocinante. „I mean it's totally up to you but I think he'd want to know.”

„You'll be late for your lesson with Hack. Come on, you still have to change”, Rocinante got up, shooing the kids away. 

„Gee, I hate those lessons! I want to stay and fight”, said Sabo. 

„Come on, lazyass”, Koala grabbed his hand and pulled him in the direction of the baracs. Rocinante looked after them with a smile. 

„Sabo is learning fast. At this rate he may soon have to start training with me. If he manages to start focusing on theoretical lessons, that is”, he heard a voice behind him. 

„Dragon-san! You've been watching?”, he smiled at Dragon who's was slowly approaching him from the other side of the training grounds.

„I had a free moment so I decided to check on our youngest members”, Dragon answered. 

„Do you think Sabo will ever regain his memory?”, Rocinante asked. Dragon hummed, deep in thought and was silent for a moment.

„Sabo was a noble born in the Goa Kingdom. I've met him short before the incident with the Celestial Dragon happened. He told me that the nobles in the country burned down the poorer parts of the city so the Celestian Dragon wouldn't see them and that he was ashamed to be born a royal” he finally said. „He was all beaten up and even know, though he doesn't remember anything, he says that he wouldn't like to come back there. Maybe it's not that he can't remember. Maybe he just doesn't want to.”

Rocinante looked at the ground. Hearing Sabo's story in more detail made him feel even worse about being a Celestial Dragon. He knew that he had no reason to blame himself, as he had nothing to do with the situation but it was stronger than him.

„Koala used to be a slave. She was freed by Fisher Tiger's crew. I heard that for days she would just smile because she was so afraid of being punished for crying”, Dragon said. 

„Why are you telling me this?”, Rocinante glared at him. Dragon didn't seem to want to torment him but Koala's story didn't exacly make him feel better. 

„Because if you feel guilty despite not being involved in any way, this is your chance to make it up to them”, Dragon answered, his expression unreadable like always. „Since you apparently seem to be good with kids.”

With those words he turned away from Rocy and started walking back to his office. Rocinante's surprised expression quickly turned into a smile. Who could have guessed that Dragon will actually try and cheer him up? Looks like he wasn't as cold as he wanted to come off as.


	2. Mission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dragon learns that it's better to lose some battles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not giving up on this story, alright. Thank you all so much for the kudos, I honestly didn't expect this wild creation of my imagination to get as many hits as it did? Special thanks to people who left kudos and commented ;w;/
> 
> Also super special thanks to my lovely girlfriend who beta'd the hell out of this shit and my stupid typos!

„It's hard to believe it's been two years since you've joined us, huh, Rocy-boy?”, Iva said.

They were sitting by the big fire the Revolutionaries made. Most of them were already drunk, some were singing songs from their islands. Iva had just carried two men back to their rooms after deciding that they had enough for the night and now sat down next to Rocy, Hack and the kids who were finishing the rest of the meat. It was a peaceful night and from the place where they were sitting they could hear the soft sound of waves washing over the shore.

„You're right. Time sure flies, huh?”, Rocy smiled, looking at the starry sky.

„Now I can kick your ass in a fight”, Sabo grinned.

„Only sometimes”, Rocy protested. „The times when I tripped don't count.”

„But those are like... Half of them”, Koala pointed out.

„Well, then maybe you two are not as good as you think”, Rocy grinned triumphantly and then yawned. „Alright, I'll be going. I just got back from the mission and I'm beat.”

„Goodnight!”, Sabo and Koala called after him together, watching as he disappeared between the buildings, tripping over some sleeping Revolutionarie on the way.

He was going to go to his room and sleep but then he noticed a light in the window of Dragon's office. Curious about what Dragon might be doing at this hour after coming back to Baltigo just this morning, he changed his mind and ended up in front of the door to the office. 

„Come in”, Dragon answered when he knocked.

„You haven't joined us at the fireside today. I thought you went to sleep after the mission”, Rocy said, walking in and sitting in the chair in front of Dragon's desk.

„There's still a lot of work to do”, Dragon said, looking up from the papers he was holding. „I have to go through the records we've obtained and plan our next step. It's more complicated than we've thought, since-”

„Did Iva get you this?”, Rocinante interrupted, picking up a wine bottle standing on Dragon's desk and turning it around in his hands curiously.

„Ah. Yes. For some reason they thought it'd be a good idea for me to... Loosen up”, Dragon frowned, looking at the bottle as if the sole idea of loosening up was mildly offensive to him. Rocy couldn't hold back a smirk.  
„Let's drink then”, he said. If completely sober, he probably would have never proposed this but he'd drank a bit before and it was slowly getting the better of him.

„As I said, I have stuff to do”, Dragon protested.

„Come on, just one round. It won't hurt and tommorow you will be able to tell Iva that you've actually enjoyed their gift”, Rocy insisted.

„...Just one round”, Dragon finally gave up and got up to get two glasses that were hidden in the cupboard in the back of his office. Rocy grinned, opened the bottle and poured the wine into each glass.

„To my two years as a Revolutionarie”, he said, gently bumping his glass with Dragon's. They were drinking for a moment in silence. Rocy put his glass down loudly when he finished and rested his head on his palm.

„Hey, Dragon-san... Why do all of this? Building an army, rebelling against government, it's not something one does just because”, he looked at Dragon and sighed when there was no answer. „I'd probably go back to the Navy if i didn't know what Law went through. Do you know about Flavence?”

„I do”, Dragon nodded.

„Law said that even though the sickness wasn't contagious the Government chose to purge the city from the sick. I could see how people were reacting to him. Most of the doctors I took him to didn't even want to be in one room with him. The Navy is full of good, righteous people but they don't have anything to say. They won't be able to change the Government. As soon as they start posing a threat, they will be removed. When I was looking at Law... I was ashamed to admit that I was a Marine”, Rocy said, pouring more wine into his glass and swirling the liquid so the light would play on its surface. „I wish I could change the world so there would be no more kids like Law. Or Sabo, or Koala.”

„That's quite a noble goal”, Dragon said.

„For a Celestial Dragon?”, Rocy looked at him with a small, sad smile.

„You can't change who you were born as. In this case, you can't even change how will people see you after hearing who you are. But you can make a name for yourself, so people would say, Donquixote Rocinante? He was born as a Celestial Dragon but he's nothing like them”, Dragon explained. „You are valuable for us, I can't deny this. But it doesn't take much effort to see that you're also a good man.”

„That's quite a long speech for someone considered 'a man of few words'”, Rocinante smirked.

„Did Iva say that?”, Dragon raised his eyebrows.

„The exact expression was „a grump” but I wanted to put it gently”, Rocinante admitted and then chugged another glass of wine. „I miss Law”, he sighed, closing his eyes.

„Go to sleep, Rocinante”, Dragon said and even though that wasn't an order, Rocinante listened.

***

One thing Revolutionaries learned about him during his first years in the Army was that despite his extraordinary clumsiness, Rocinante was surprisingly good at stealth. Maybe it was because of his powers that could help him nullify the noise of an eventual fall or allowed him to move and breathe without anyone hearing him but the fact was still surprising to anyone who'd met him. He could see the doubt in the eyes of potential allies Dragon worked with when they learned that this „spy” they'd heard so much about was a three meters tall man who could trip over his own legs and had a surprising ability to randomly set himself on fire while lighting up his cigarette.

Second one was that he hated leaving anyone behind, so when one day Iva came back from a mission with only half of the people they'd set out with he was first to ask what was the reason for that.

„We had to abort the mission. There was an unexpected visit from Garp in the Marine base we've been in. He had two battleships with him. Part of our groups got cut out when we were fleeing. It was too risky to go back for them”, Iva sighed.

„I see. You made a good call”, Dragon nodded.

„A good call? Are you serious?”, Rocinante looked at him with disbelief. „Those were good, young people. You don't grow them on trees. They don't deserve to rot in Impel Down just because your sources failed to inform you about Garp's visit.”

„And what do you suggest? Sneaking them out under Garp's nose? They will expect us to come. We have the information we need”, Dragon said. „I'm not happy about this either, but the sooner you realize that there will be sacrifices we have to take, the better. I will not put more men in danger to get them out.”

„He's right, Rocy-boy. We can't risk it. They knew what they were getting into”, Iva put their hand on Rocinante's shoulder.

„I don't need more men. I will take just Inazuma”, Rocy answered, giving Dragon a determined look. „I can do it. Please, trust me.”

Dragon looked him in the eyes for a moment and sighed.

„Very well. But if something goes wrong it's all on you”, he said. Rocinante smiled brightly and saluted.

„Yes, sir!”

***

Second day after Rocinante left was passing and there was still no sign of him. Dragon was standing on the hill, watching the sea, his arms crossed on his chest. His fingers were impatiently moving against his arm, the telltale sign of concern in his otherwise completely calm posture.

That was where Koala and Sabo found him. They stood next to their leader, looking in the same direction as he was with concerned expressions on their faces.

„Why are you here?”, Sabo asked.

„I had a moment so I went on a walk”, Dragon said simply.

„Right. You're waiting for Rocy, aren't you?”, Sabo huffed. There was no answer.

„Do you think he will come back?”, Koala looked at Dragon.

„It's highly possible that he won't”, Dragon aswered without any emotion coloring his voice. His eyes, however, never left the horizon.

„But you're still waiting”, Sabo decided. He was thirteen at the time, quickly getting more daring and ready to fight. It was a dangerous age. He was aware that his fighting abilities had already surpassed not just other kids his age but also many adult members of the Revolutionary Army and it was harder and harder to keep him in Baltigo when the others were going on a mission. On the other hand, he was still an inexperienced brat and quick to make decisions that could put him in danger. During trainings with Kuma he still didn't have the upper hand but was impatiently waiting for the day when he'll be able to face Dragon. He didn't understand why Rocinante didn't want to see him anywhere near a mission but at least for some reason listened to him.

„I want him to come back”, Koala sighed. „If he's gone, there will be nobody Sabo listens to.”

„Hey!”, Sabo protested.

„Oh! Look!”, Koala pointed at the small shape that appeared on the horizon. A shape that slowly became three boats filled with people who without a doubt were the rest of the Revolutionaries that had been left in the Marine base.

Rocinante started waving as soon as he noticed them standing on the hill. Sabo and Koala ran to the shore to help the people who were injured to the land. They both grabbed Rocy by the neck as he picked them up to hug them.

„Took you long enough”, Sabo laughed.

„Sorry about that”, Rocy answered, putting them back on the ground to face Dragon. His eyes brightened, as he smiled, bowing shortly.

„Thank you for trusting me!”, he said.

„Go eat and rest. It must have been a hard journey”, Dragon said, a bit surprised by this short gesture.

„It was worth it”, Rocinante grinned and started walking towards the buildings, tripping on a paddle on his way.

„Rocinante!”, Dragon called after him.

„Yes?”, Rocy turned around, giving him a questioning look.

„Good job.”

***

„Don't be shy, Rocy-boy! There really wasn't anyone back in the Navy that you had your eye on?”, Iva teased.

It was a quiet evening after trainings and both of them had managed to convince Dragon to come and play cards with them. They sat down in the bar around one table as Hack dealt the cards. After a few drinks the conversation turned from the usual Revolutionary-related stuff to Rocinante's life in the Navy and he somehow ended up being questioned by Iva about his love life.

„No, really, there wasn't anyone. I didn't have time for that. Sengoku didn't exactly let me off the hook, you know”, Rocy scratched the back of his hair, a bit embarrassed.

„And here I hoped to get some spicy gossip from the Navy...”, Iva sighed. „Here, I win again.”

„I don't know how but you are cheating”, Hack glared at them.

„A lady doesn't reveal her secrets”, Iva winked at him.

„Spicy gossip? Alright, then I will tell you that you should never ever go into Garp's or Sengoku's office without knocking. Many rookies, myself included, make that mistake and regret it for the rest of their lives”, Rocy said.

„I... Didn't need to know that about my father, thank you, Rocinante”, Dragon grumbled.

„Right, you're Garp's son”, Rocinante realized. „I'm sorry, you're just so... Different. I keep forgetting.”

„It doesn't matter”, Dragon answered, taking a sip from his glass. „I win this time.”

„And here I hoped that if we invite you, I won’t be the only one losing, boss”, Hack frowned.

„Hack has never won a game through all of his stay here. It's getting ridiculous”, Iva shook their head in disbelief.

„Maybe I would if you weren't cheating!”, Hack protested, glaring at them.

Rocy laughed, listening to their banter and turned to Dragon.

„Relaxing once in a while is nice, don't you think?”, he asked.

„I'm supposed to agree, aren't I?”, Dragon answered. After all he wasn't here completely at his own will.

„You either disappear for week or spend all days in your office. It can't be healthy”, Rocinante said.

„It's all to assure the success of our missions”, Dragon answered. „But thank you for your concern”, he added after a moment, hoping that the previous statement didn't come out too harsh. He would lie if he said that he wasn't grateful for the simple gestures Rocinante would from time to time offer to help him keep his mind off Revolutionary business. He also learned that sometimes Rocinante's judgment was better than his own not only when it came to missions but also to the amount of work he could do and the amount of hours he could go without sleep. Some battles felt like a win even though he'd lost them because Rocinante's smile was a really... Nice thing to see, especially when he knew it was meant for him.

“I still can’t believe Rocy-boy didn’t have anyone back in the Navy”, Iva’s voice threw him off guard, putting an end to those thoughts that were heading in a direction he’d rather avoid.

“Hey, I had friends!”. Rocinante protested. “Like Smoker? He was a really good guy. He took me in when everybody was picking on me for being a crybaby. He would always stand up to bigger and older trainees and sometimes got a beating for that too.”

Iva looked at him with amusement.

“So you were a crybaby, huh? How cute”, they teased. 

“Hey!”, Rocy frowned.

“Why am I not surprised?”, asked Hack.

“Hey! Come on!”, Rocy crossed his arms on his chest, visibly offended.

“Stop bullying him”, Dragon said. The corners of his mouth were slightly raised. Two weeks after Iva would say, though nobody believed them, that maybe it was just the light playing on his face, but Dragon almost looked as if he was smiling.


	3. The Ball

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rocy and Sabo are sent on an undercover mission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There won't be much sweet romance in this chapter since it's Sabo and Rocy centric, sorry! Also, girl Sabo aka Samantha because Iva can. Hope you guys will enjoy it anyway. Also thank you guys so much for comments and kudos, they really make my day and encourage to write more for this wild-ride of a fic. 
> 
>  
> 
> As always thanks to my gf, ScarletttCake for proof-reading the whole thing ;w;/

“Sabo? We have to get going”, Rocy knocked and then pushed the door open. He saw a beautiful, young girl in an elegant, blue dress with a flower pin in her short, blonde hair. She turned to him, a bit wobbly in the heels she was wearing and grinned in a completely different way than a rich girl from a good home would.

“How do I look?”, she asked. Rocy rolled his eyes.

“Beautiful. Now come on, it’s impolite to be late”, he said. 

Sabo grinned even more. He was sixteen now and growing into an attractive young man (or woman at this moment). The scar on his face was hidden under a layer of makeup, cheeks rosy and lips red and Rocinante had to admit that Inazuma did a great job with making sure that he is as far from looking like Sabo as possible. Obviously his behavior and mannerism couldn’t be changed but since he had been born a royal some habits stayed the same. He also got some etiquette lessons before Dragon decided that he can actually go on the mission with Rocinante. 

They were supposed to be a father and a daughter, since Iva insisted that their blond hair will let them pass as family. A pair of royals from a faraway island invited to a ball at Roderic the Third’s mansion. The man was an influential royal on North Blue and a real icon in fashion and culture but the Revolutionaries had some info about secret slave auctions going on behind the scenes. Rocy and Sabo were supposed to investigate it.

It was Sabo’s first stealth mission. The ones before were usually about attacking, busting someone out or getting hold of some valuable package and running away. Right now they were supposed to rely on their disguise and acting skills. The island they were supposed to come from was completely made up as well as their family name but both Rocinante and Dragon agreed that even if the royals get suspicious they would rather play along than admit their own lack of knowledge.

Rocinante was also dressed differently than usual. He was wearing a white suit with a red heart brooch. He got rid of his hat and the feathery coat he usually had on his shoulders. He also had a black shirt and red tie underneath. 

They went out on the deck. It was dark but they could already see the lights on the island where the party was taking place. Sabo was putting on long, blue gloves that went above his elbow and Rocy approached Dragon who was standing on the prow. He didn’t know why Dragon decided to go with them but he expected he will learn sooner or later. Maybe the mission was supposed to be something more than they’d been told. 

“Rocinante”, Dragon said, looking at him. “Come here. Lean forward.”

“Huh?”, Rocinante did as he was told. Dragon reached to his neck and tied his tie properly before moving his hand along it to straighten it. “Oh, thank you”, Rocinante smiled and lighted up a cigarette. Then he caught Sabo’s look and something about it made him a bit embarrassed. 

“What is it?”, he asked.

“Nothing at all”, Sabo answered with a smug grin. Dragon raised his eyebrows but didn’t comment.

“You’ll be landing in fifteen minutes. Good luck”, he just said, looking at Rocinante and went under the deck.

“Look at you two”, Sabo teased. Rocy wasn’t sure what was he supposed to look at but he didn’t like that smirk Sabo was giving him.

***

The ballroom was huge and lit up with hundreds of candles on beautiful, gold chandeliers. There were tables filled with a huge variety of snacks and drinks, some of which Rocy couldn’t even name. Both ladies and gentlemen were wearing elegant, sometimes extravagant outfits and Rocy was sure that for the price of even one of those he could feed everyone in Baltigo for a day or two. Despite everything, it was impressive.

“I’m sure that there’s plenty of kids in this city that could use the money they’re wasting”, he heard Sabo whisper next to him. His face was a bit more delicate now that he was a girl, but his eyes were burning with the same determination as always. Rocy put his hand on Sabo’s shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly. 

The waiter offered them a plate with drinks. Rocy took one and despite Sabo’s glare asked for juice for him. 

“I’ve drank alcohol before”, Sabo said, crossing his arms on his chest.

“Act like a proper lady”, Rocinante discretely jabbed Sabo’s back with his finger. “Besides, how would you know? You don’t remember anything.”

“I just feel like it”, Sabo shrugged, straightening his back immediately. 

“That’s nothing to be proud of. You’re still a brat”, Rocy smiled a bit and turned around because they’d been approached by a group of elegant older women who seemed to have a great interest in the tall stranger and the girl who accompanied him. 

“Beautiful evening we have”, one of them remarked. 

“Yes, quite splendid”, Rocy agreed politely.

“I haven’t seen you around before, young man. Not from around here, I assume?”, the other one apparently wasn’t going to waste time on small-talk.

“You’re correct, madame. Me and my daughter usually fail to arrive due to the distance between our island and the ball’s location. We’re living far into south, near Calm Belt. She always wanted to come, though so since we were around to take care of some business, we’ve decided to step by”, he explained smoothly. 

“I really wanted to go to some ball, our island is so boring!”, Sabo pouted, perfectly imitating a spoiled, rich girl. 

“What a lovely young lady”, one of the women cooed.

“I assume you’ve left your wife behind?”, the other asked, still suspicious. 

“Oh! My lovely Daria left this world last summer”, Rocy answered sadly. 

“And there’s no one to buy me dresses now, since father’s taste is horrible”, Sabo huffed.  
Rocy laughed.

“As you can see, I’m also looking for a woman that my dear Samantha would approve of”, he explained. That seemed to convince the ladies. They gladly shared their opinions on the available women on the ball. Rocy politely listened to it all and then excused himself and Sabo. 

“I though they will never finish”, Sabo sighed. 

Rocy was about to comment on his ability to play a spoiled young lady when a loud voice drew his attention.

“Sir Outlook! It’s rare to see you so far from home!”, someone addressed a tall royal dressed in a blue coat and a top hat. The man turned around and now Rocy could clearly see his bored expression and black mustache. Next to him stood an ugly young man with a bowl cut, who must have been just a bit younger than Sabo. 

Noble called Outlook greeted the person who called him and they engaged in a conversation. Meanwhile the kid was eating an éclair while picking his nose. 

“What a nasty brat”, Rocy commented quietly and looked at Sabo, awaiting for his answer but it seemed that the noble completely consumed the attention of his companion. “Is something wrong?”

“I… Just really dislike that guy for some reason”, Sabo answered. “I feel like I have a reason to.”

Rocy frowned. He still remembered Dragon saying that Sabo was a son of a noble. Taking that into consideration, it was highly possible that he’d met Outlook and his son before. And what did that man say? Far away from home? East Blue was pretty far away so that’d fit. 

He asked Sabo to go get them some sweets and discreetly moved close enough to hear the conversation between Outlook and the other noble. 

“Is that your son? I remember him looking pretty… different”, the noble eyed the kid who at this moment was trying to get his hands on a glass of wine. 

“Stelly? Yes, he is my son and a heir to my family name. Isn’t he a spectacular young man?”, Outlook said, his voice full of satisfaction. Rocinante had seen a few spectacular young men in his life (Law being one of them, obviously) and Stelly was rather far from that title. Oh well. Sometimes it’s not easy for a parent to see their kid’s flaws. Maybe if it was, Doffy wouldn’t have been shot by his own brother. 

“Quite… Spectacular, yes”, the noble smiled the fakest smile possible. “How old is he again?”

“Fourteen this year”, Outlook answered, sipping wine from his glass. 

“Weird… I could have sworn your son was older. Around sixteen?”, the noble was clearly looking for a hole in Outlooks testimony. Rocy could imagine how good of a scandal would it be if someone discovered that he was trying to pass another kid as his son… Or a reason for that, obviously. 

“Father, I was looking for you”, out of nowhere, Sabo put his hand on Rocy’s shoulder, handing him a plate full of sweets and at the same time Outlook said, visibly uncomfortable:

“Oh, you mean Sabo! Yes, sadly he’s not with us anymore. A horrible accident, really. Some dirty bandits captured him to get money from us. When he saw that we’re handing them money and begging for them not to hurt him, he tried to escape and got shot in the fight. I still have a hard time talking about it”, Outlook took off his top hat in a gesture of mourning. 

“Rocy, what is this about?”, Sabo asked quietly, looking up at Rocinante with complete confusion. Rocy on the other hand, after a dawning realization, felt anger slowly raising within him. The man before him was Sabo’s father and there he was not a single word of truth coming out of his mouth. Not a word about how he had made Sabo desperate enough to try and escape the island on a small boat. Not a word about how his son got shot down by a Celestial Dragon just because he was leaving the island at a wrong time. He just found another kid in his place because what’s the difference if the family name is safe?

“Rocy? What are you-“, Sabo asked but it took him just a moment to realize what Rocinante was about to do and his eyes widened in shock.

***

“Dragon, sir! The house is burning!”

Dragon raised his eyes from the paper he was reading.

“What?”, he asked, not sure if he’d heard well. The man standing in the door, who’d barged in a minute ago without knocking looked very nervous.

“The mansion where sir Rocinante and Sabo are is burning”, he explained. 

Dragon immediately left the newspaper, got up and walked to the deck. There was no mistaking it. The mansion was burning and people in the town were slowly realizing it and running in that direction. After a few minutes Dragon noticed a familiar figure approaching the docks.

Rocinante seemed pissed. He was looking forward, not even reacting when running people would bump into him. He was smoking a cigarette and there was a black smudge on his cheek. Sabo was following him, still in his girl form, giving him concerned looks from time to time. He managed to catch Rocy when he tripped on the plank and almost fell into the water. 

“Rocinante. What happened?”, Dragon stood in front of him, crossing his arms on his chest. Neither of them looked hurt, he decided after a short examination.

Only then Rocy threw the cigarette on the deck, put it out with the heel of his shoe and looked back at the burning mansion.

“I might have gotten a bit carried away”, he admitted.

“We’ve met a noble who knew me and Rocinante got mad and set the mansion on fire”, Sabo explained. 

“This piece of trash was your father. And he deserved it”, Rocy said and tried to walk past the Dragon, who blocked his way.

“That was not your mission, Rocinante”, he said. 

“I’m not going to stay aside when some trash who probably made Sabo’s life miserable is lying like a dog to put himself in a better light in front of other posh assholes who only care because they want to have shit to talk about behind his back! He was trying to pretend that this ugly brat he’d brought along was always his only child, as if Sabo never existed! I’m not having any of that”, Rocinante glared at him and for a moment it was clear what he really was – man trained to be a Marine and Donquixote family executive for many years, in other words, a dangerous man who despite his goofy side was not to be taken lightly. Someone you’d better have on your side. 

“He was trying to protect me, boss”, Sabo said and it was much softer than usual. 

Dragon sighed. There was no winning the battle. 

“Don’t think going against orders like this will bear no consequences. But for now go change. We’re going back to Baltigo”, he said, turning around and going back to his cabin. Rocinante lit up another cigarette.

***

Sabo was sitting on the prow of the ship, looking forward from the top of the dragon’s head. Iva had changed him back into a guy and he was back to wearing his usual clothes. It was already dark and most of the Revolutionaries were asleep. Only the few ones on the watch stayed around.

He couldn’t sleep. He was thinking about Outlook. Not that the whole thing left him particularly upset – he’d always felt that his family was a bunch of jerks. He just felt mad that despite seeing his father he still wasn’t able to remember anything. It didn’t give him any clue about his life. Was there someone whom he’d left behind? Probably not, since he choose to escape alone. Still, a part of him hoped that maybe his childhood wasn’t as bad as his family would make him think. That maybe there was someone who cared about him somewhere back in his homeland. 

“Sabo?”, he heard a voice behind him and a loud thump. He turned around to see Rocinante slowly getting up from the fall he’d just had.

“I thought you were asleep”, Sabo said, a bit surprised.

“I was getting a lecture from Dragon”, Rocy sighed. “He is putting me on a cooking duty for a month when we’re back.”

“God, no. The whole Baltigo will burn”, Sabo protested with a horrified expression. 

“Come on! There will be people keeping an eye on me, you know”, Rocy huffed but then his expression turned serious. “How are you doing?”

“I knew my family were assholes as soon as I learned that they were nobles, don’t worry about that”, Sabo answered, giving him a reassuring grin. For a moment it occurred to Rocy how much he’d grown up since they first met and he felt his eyes getting a bit wet. “I’m just a bit worried, since I still don’t remember anything. I… May never know if there was something good for be back then”, Sabo admitted after a moment of silence. Saying that couldn’t have been easy for him. 

“Come here, brat”, Rocy reached out to him. A bit surprised, Sabo slid down the dragon’s neck and landed on the deck. Before his feet touched the deck, Rocy caught him and hugged. 

“Even if there wasn’t anything back where you come from… Or even if you never remember it, you’ve still found something here, right? You’re not alone and those people we’ve seen on the ball are not your family”, he said. Sabo was silent for a moment before returning the hug quite awkwardly, since his feet were dangling in the air. 

“Let me go, you idiot”, he said, smiling a bit and Rocy did as he was asked. Sabo leaned along the railing, looking out at the sea.

“Tell me about Law”, he requested. “What kind of person is he?”

“Well, he is quite a rude brat. When I met him he didn’t care if he’d live or die. I took him away from Doffy to look for a cure and realized how badly the world had treated a kid like him. When he warmed up to me he became really cute! He would fuss over me getting hurt and even laugh sometimes. He was still rude and grumpy but that was really sweet, you know… I’ve told you that so many times though, why are you asking now?”, Rocy asked. Usually his Law-related stories would be met with a loud groan and complaining that they’d heard it million times already. 

“I’m just wondering what kind of a guy is lucky enough to have you as his father”, Sabo said, looking at him with a smile. Rocy was completely stunned for a moment and then his eyes filled with tears.

“Sabo!”

“Okay, okay, don’t get sappy on me! I’ve had enough hugs for a day”, Sabo laughed, escaping from his arms. After that Iva came to the deck to scold them about shouting this late at night so they both went to sleep.


	4. The Prisoner pt 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rocinante reflects upon some of moments he shared with Dragon and meets an old friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can pry Smoker and Rocy friendship headcanon from my cold dead hands.
> 
> As always thanks to my lovely girlfriend for checking thechapter for my stupid typos ;_;

Looking back, Rocinante would describe his relationship with Dragon as comfortable. Throughout the years, there had been many situations in which Dragon had to step down from his decision and let Rocinante do it his way, knowing that some fights are not meant to be won. The more time they’d spent together, the more willing Dragon was to give him a free hand on a mission, knowing that Rocinante wouldn’t let him down.

And it wasn’t only professional. Rocinante would often come and help plan out next moves of the Revolutionaries in the evenings. At first Dragon didn’t tell him much. It took a while until he started to share his thoughts and next moves while Rocinante was always there to offer advice. After that, they’d sit for a long time, talking over drinks. Usually Rocy was the one doing the talking. He’d tell Dragon about his time in the Navy, his adventures with Smoker, about that one time when they had accidentally splashed Sengoku’s goat with blue paint and were trying to hide it from him by making it follow a rice cracker trail. He’d also talk about his time with Doffy, about the kids laughing at him for being clumsy, about Law stabbing him and Dellinger trying to bite his finger off when they took him in. Dragon would listen carefully and offer a comment from time to time, sometimes even a smile. He himself didn’t share much. He would stick to the things related to the Army, misadventures of Iva, missions they’d done and things they discovered. Rocy didn’t mind. There were some things he didn’t want to share as well. He remembered one day when he’d let Dragon take a glimpse of his childhood.

_They were already after a few glasses of wine and he had just made fun of the fact that Dragon is related to Garp. Then he suddenly fell silent, looking through the window, his eyes distant. Dragon asked what was wrong and Rocinante only sighed._

_“My brother shot my father when I was a child. He put a gun to his head and shot while my father was still hugging and comforting me. I knew something bad was coming. I didn’t know where did the gun come from or why did he do it, I was just terrified. I hated him, wanted to bring him down. I even dumped all my hatred on Law. And then, many years later he tried to kill me with the same gun”, he said after a while. Dragon didn’t comment. He knew that it was better to let him finish, otherwise this rare moment may go away._

_“I had a gun too, you know. But I wasn’t able to shoot. Even after everything I’ve seen him do, I wasn’t able to just finish him off. And he? He knew that. And he missed”, Rocinante shook his head, as if he wasn’t able to comprehend it. “He could have easily just put a gun to my head and shoot, like he did with father. But he never aimed at my head. When they told me that my vital organs were untouched I couldn’t help but wonder, why? How much of a monster you can be to let your brother slowly die from blood loss while getting covered in freezing snow?”_

_“Is this the only reason that comes to your mind?”, Dragon asked. Rocy’s hand slowly moved to his chest and clenched on his shirt in the place where the scars from the bullets were._

_“Any other is far too impossible to consider”, he said with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. Then he reached for the bottle and poured himself one more glass of wine. “He is a next level of bastard, that Doffy. Can’t wait for us to free poor Dressrosa from his clutches”, he said happily as if nothing was wrong._

_Dragon knew that it was but he took his own glass and raised it a bit in a toast._

_“We will, Rocinante. Don’t worry”, he promised._

Rocinante smiled, remembering that moment. He knew that Dragon would keep his word and sooner or later manage to free Dressrossa even without his help. His word wasn’t just for show. And talking about his past back then made his heart feel lighter. He didn’t regret it. 

_“Come on, brats! There’s just one of me and two of you! You want to be soldiers in this state?”, Rocinante teased._

_It was a hot day in Baltigo and most Revolutionaries sought shadow or the coolness of cold drinks in the bar. Koala and Sabo, however were energetic as always and demanded that someone had to train with them._

_Hack and Iva both refused. Kuma was out on the mission. That left only one target._

_And so Rocinante took a big stick, took off his shirt and threw it aside (for some reason leaving the hat on) and started fighting the kids who were barely in their underwear. They were supposed to unarm him of the stick but for now they weren’t successful._

_He stopped for a moment to wipe the sweat from his forehead and noticed Dragon sitting on one of the nearby rock formation with a book, munching on an apple. The heat must have gotten to him as well because he’d ditched his green cape and was only in a white shirt with sleeves rolled up to his elbows._

_He had pretty muscular forearms._

_It was pretty obvious, now that Rocy thought about it. A man powerful like Dragon must be muscular. It’s obvious that he was physically strong even though he was short. In physical fight he probably wouldn’t be able to beat Rocinante. After all Sengoku had trained him well. On the other hand, Dragon was probably trained by Garp so getting him on his back wouldn’t be simple._

_Plus being pressed to the ground by those muscular arms didn’t seem like a bad idea…_

_That dangerous train of thought was broken by the tip of Sabo’s pipe digging into his face. He could feel Koala grabbing the stick and pulling it away from his hands. Then she kicked him in the calf and he fell to the ground with a heavy “ompf”._

_“Ha! Your opponent gets an upper hand when you space out!”, Sabo grinned triumphantly and high fived Koala._

_“You killed me. I’m dead”, Rocy said, pulling the hat on his face and trying to come to terms with the fact that he was indulging in fantasies about his boss’ muscular forearms just a minute ago._

_“Get up”, Sabo grinned, poking him with the pipe._

_Rocinante lied down stubbornly until there was a shadow falling on his face and Sabo stopped poking him._

_“Need help in defeating those little demons?”, Dragon asked. Only then Rocy opened his eyes, looking at him with a smile._

_“I could do it alone but since you’re offering…”, he said and took Dragon’s hand to get up._

_They started fighting, at first with the kids. Then the kids got bored and directed their attention at the book and an apple Dragon had left on the rock where he had been sitting, leaving the two to spar together._

_It was so hot that Rocy’s memory was hazy but what he did remember clearly was Dragon sitting on his hips and pressing him to the ground with a triumphant smirk and saying_

_“You thought you’d come on top just because you’re bigger?”._

_He also remembered pushing him off quickly since his mind made up some other meanings to the sentence, apologizing and going to the bar for a cold drink._

That was a weird memory to get back to. He did regret that he didn’t stay to see how it will play out back then. He was almost completely sure they would just continue sparring since after that Dragon never tried to get in any way physical or acted out of ordinary but a part of him was curious.

Besides that he also regretted not being able to see Law grow up. He was sure that he’d grown into a fine young man and one day he would blow the world away. Not because he was a D but because he was Law. 

And Law had a potential to do this. 

That part, however came as a package with him deciding to stay with the Revolutionaries so he’d grown used to that thought. 

His team with the hostages were already far away from here. Everybody had gotten out safe, he made sure of it when he stayed behind. He did a good job with the Revolutionaries. Dragon trusted him and he didn’t let him down. 

He raised his head to look at the backs of two guards standing by his cell. He had been locked down and cuffed with the Sea Stone handcuffs. They weren’t taking him lightly, which was flattering in a way. 

Suddenly there was a commotion outside. Someone shouted “wait” and the door flew open. Smoker stood in the middle of the doorway, his eyes opened wide. The cigar from his mouth fell to the ground. 

“So it really is you”, he said in disbelief.

The guards looked at Smoker and then at Rocy, visibly uncomfortable.

“Leave us”, Smoker ordered.

“But…”, one of the guards started but seeing Smoker’s face they decided not to discuss it further.

“You have ten minutes. We technically shouldn’t have let you in here in the first place”, the other one said when they were leaving. Smoker just glared at him. His eyes turned to Rocy when the door closed.

“Hi, Smokes”, Rocy greeted him with a sheepish smile. 

“I thought you were dead! Sengoku mourned you, so did I! And you were somewhere there working for Revolutionaries? You’ve disgraced the name of the Navy-“

“The Navy doesn’t need me to disgrace itself!”, Rocy interrupted. “The Government is killing innocent people every single day! Starting wars, turning people against each other, hiding truth from civilians? Smoker, I know there are good people in the Navy but they’re not going to go far.”

“I will prove that they are”, Smoker growled, lighting up another cigar. 

“You’re a good man, Smoker. I know you. Sooner or later you will start seeing more and more questionable actions of the Government. You will be conflicted because you care about people and you can tell right from wrong. I may not be around by then but the Revolutionaries will take you in. You’d be a precious asset to them”, Rocy said.

“Yeah? I don’t see them running here to help you”, Smoker bit the cigar, crossing his arms on his chest.

“We got what we wanted. Getting me back is too much of a risk. Don’t tell me the Navy wouldn’t do the same”, Rocy smiled.

“I can’t believe you’ve betrayed us”, Smoker shook his head and turned around to leave. Rocy sighed when the door closed behind him. That didn’t go too well but at least he managed to see Smoker before they throw him into Impel Down. When they do, he would have to be ready for more unpleasant encounters.

He heard a thunder rolling outside and first drops of the rain hitting the deck. There was a storm coming.


	5. The Prisoner pt 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I fix this horrible cliffhanger I've left you with in the last chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I LIVE!  
> I'm super sorry for such a long break in writing this, there was a lot of collage stuff and it was all a mess and i was just a pile of stressful feelings but now I have a year of break til I have to go through this again so here's another chapter. It's short-ish because it's technically second part of the previous one but enjoy ;w;
> 
> As always thanks to my lovely ScarletttCake for checking this for mistakes and kicking my ass to actually write it lmao

It was quiet after Smoker left.

The guards came back, joked around for a bit and then started playing cards while sitting on the floor. Rocy watched as one of them gets mercilessly destroyed only because he hadn’t figured out that the other was keeping cards in his sleeve. He even wondered if he should inform the guard about it but in the end he decided against it. It’s not like they were nice to him. He wasn’t going to be nice back.

The thunders were louder and seemed closer than before. The ship was swinging harder and harder.

“Man, I’m glad I’m not out there on the deck”, one of the guards commented.

Suddenly something hit the ship. The guards almost fell, their cards scattering on the floor. Rocinante got up, his heart beating faster. Were they being attacked? That was a great opportunity to use the commotion and try to break himself out. He felt strength leaving his body when he moved, as his skin brushed against the Sea Stone. That wasn’t going to be an easy task but he sure as hell was going to try.

By this time there was shouting and sounds of fighting on the deck. The guards looked at each other, uneasy but they didn’t leave their positions. It quickly turned out they didn’t have to. The door were torn out of the hinges and thrown aside before Dragon walked into the room.

“T-the leader of the Revolutionaries! Dragon!”, one of the guards screamed, backing off so far that he ended up with his back pressed against the bars of Rocinante’s cell. Dragon approached his companion, grabbed him by the front of his shirt and threw at the other Marine. Then he proceed to rip the bars off with his hands covered in Haki.

“Dragon! Why are you here?”, Rocy asked in disbelief when Dragon leaned in and opened up his handcuffs.

“To get back my idiot spy”, Dragon answered matter-of-factly. “Are you hurt?”

“A few bruises and cuts”, Rocy shrugged, rubbing his wrists.

“Good. Let’s get out of here”, Dragon turned around and walked out of the room as Rocy smiled to himself and followed him.

***

The sea calmed down as quickly as the storm had broken out and even some rays of sunshine showed up, shining from between the clouds.

Rocy was looking in the direction they’d come from. He remembered Smoker’s last look at him and how he called his name when he was getting on the Revolutionaries’ ship. Rocy turned away from him and left. He hoped that one day Smoker would understand his reasoning. He was a good man and the reason he stayed was not because he thought Navy was good and flawless but because he hoped he could change it. Despite his quite scary looks and rough personality he was an idealistic man and Rocy always admired it about him.

Turning away from him felt bad but they were no longer on the same path. 

“My, you really made us worried, Rocy-boy”, he hadn’t heard Iva approaching him and flinched when they stood next to him by the rail.

“I’m sorry. I wanted to keep as many of our people safe as possible. I knew if I stayed, the files would get to Dragon”, he smiled sheepishly, scratching his hair. “I didn’t expect you to come to rescue me. What were you thinking? And why is Dragon even here?”

“Oh, he totally freaked out when they came back without you! I mean, as much as Dragon can freak out of course, his face isn’t capable of expressing too much emotion”, Iva grinned. “He immediately took his best people and ordered to sail away. We got into that base where you were caught but they’d already moved you. Some Navy soldiers were kind enough to give us directions when we asked nicely. But you know, I’ve never seen Dragon so bothered in a long time. He mobilized everyone and it was barely an hour from us getting the message to us taking off.”

“He always avoids taking unnecessary risks like this. And now he rushed in without even planning it out properly?”, Rocy shook his head. “What was he thinking?”

“Oh, Rocy-boy”, Iva gave him a smile full of pity as if they were talking to a child. “If you don’t understand, maybe you should ask him yourself?”

They patted Rocy’s back and left, smiling a little. Rocy looked after them, a bit confused.

***

Dragon was in his cabin, going through the documents Rocy’s group brought him. He hadn’t had time to actually take a look at them, too busy planning out Rocinante’s rescue. Which was a really reckless thing to do, now that he was thinking about it. Not that it changed anything. If the Celestial Dragons got his hands on the traitor that knew Doflamingo’s secrets, who knows what they’d do to him.

He wasn’t going to take any risks.

Someone knocked on the door and Rocinante let himself in before he managed to invite him.

“Thank you for coming for me”, he said quietly, approaching the desk and sitting on the chair in front of Dragon. “I didn’t expect such a risky move from you.”

“The risk doesn’t matter. If the Celestial Dragons laid their hands on you, they wouldn’t just kill you. You’d probably forget you’ve ever felt anything other than pain”, Dragon answered. Rocinante was here, in his cabin but he still didn’t feel calm. He wanted to go out and rip the Marine ship that took him to pieces, even though he knew that was hardly a reasonable move. “What were you thinking? What happened to your belief that no one should ever be left behind, does this not include you?”

There was a layer of different emotions in his voice that made Rocinante look at him in surprise. Iva was right, Dragon was really thrown off his usual balance and it was all for him.

That really wasn’t the best time to feel flattered.

“It’s different. I’m willing to take the risk for the success of the mission. I let all our other people escape. I would obviously try to escape as well but if I didn’t succeed… I think that would be a fair sacrifice”, he said, smiling sheepishly. He almost jumped when Dragon slammed the paper he had been reading against the desk.

“I don’t think you realize how important you are”, he said, his expression completely serious. Rocinante shook his head.

“Important?”, he asked. “You have many spies, some of them much better than me.”

Dragon crossed his arms on his chest.

“Not for the army, although that matters a lot as well. You’re important to me, Rocinante”, he said, looking at Rocy with his piercing gaze. “You’ve asked me once why am I doing all of this. I’ve never answered, have I?”

“No but you don’t need to. It’s your personal-“

“I want to”, Dragon interrupted. “I used to be a Marine, like my father wanted me to. A good one at that. I would turn my eyes away from Navy’s wrongdoings and use my duty to be loyal to the Government as an excuse. That was until I met a pirate.”

“A pirate?”, Rocy repeated, surprised. It was hard to imagine someone with a sense of responsibility as big as Dragon’s turned from his beliefs by a pirate.

“She was fierce and feared nothing. Reckless, temperamental and as I thought back then, indestructible. We fell in love. She opened my eyes and made me question Navy’s and as a result, my own actions”, Dragon paused for a moment and the silence that fell was heavy.

Somehow, Rocinante knew where this story was going.

“They captured and executed her. She had a lot of dirt on the Navy and wasn’t afraid to speak up. I didn’t make it on time to save her. This is why I’m doing this, Rocinante. The Government will pay. They silenced her but I will create a world she’d wished for.”

“Does Garp know all of this?”, Rocinante asked quietly. He couldn’t imagine how someone lets his son’s lover be executed in front of him.

“He does. My father doesn’t talk about it but I know he feels guilty. That doesn’t change the fact that he didn’t stop it”, Dragon answered. “Do you understand now, Rocinante? I will not allow them to take anyone else from me if I can help it.”

Rocy smiled a bit. If someone had told him a few years ago that he would hear something like this from the leader of the Revolutionaries, he’d laugh in their face. Fate really worked in the most mysterious ways.

“The feeling is mutual, you know”, he said, looking at Dragon. “I would also come back for you, no matter where would they hold you.”

That was a big declaration but somehow, as soon as he said that, he realized that he absolutely meant it. Over the years Dragon became someone more than just a leader to him. The evenings spent on discussing strategies and later just talking while drinking a glass of wine, training together, firesides and card games meant a world for him. They gave him a sense of a comfortable partnership between the two of them and as unexpected as it was, he cherished every moment of it.

Dragon allowed himself a small smirk.

“I would get out myself”, he declared, making Rocinante laugh out loud.

“Dragon”, he said warmly as he was about to leave the cabin. “Thank you. For sharing your story with me. And for… Everything really.”

“… You’re welcome”, he heard as he left, closing the door behind him.


End file.
